Winning London
by Jubilation Bells
Summary: Toby makes a drastic decision to help Spencer overcome her addiction. One Shot. Toby in London.


Toby sat awake in his loft apartment nearly all night that night. Nothing made him feel more helpless than seeing his girlfriend suffering. He knew she had been acting strange lately, she was never one to blow him off before, but he was not prepared for what her mother had told him was really the issue behind her obscure behavior. He wanted to be upset with her for not telling him about her relapse into a previous stimulant addiction, but at the same time why would she have told him? He had been the cause of her pain and suffering before, and while he could never forgive himself for that, he knew he had to make up for it. But in this case he didn't know how. Frankly, he was more upset with himself for not noticing sooner.

He knew the obvious answer was that she needed help. But knowing her, something would help her out much more than any doctor or nurse could. In turn, getting her the help she needed would in turn help him. Since he didn't know her very well the last time she was affected by this problem, he had no frame of reference on how she dealt with it before. Her parents were of no assistance to him since their solution to most problems regarding their family was to ignore or hide them. But he had to do something. That's when he came up with the idea of reaching out to Melissa. While Spencer and her sister did not always have the most stable relationship with one another, when push came to shove, the two girls had each others' backs. And in his case, maybe Melissa would be able to give him some sort of idea of what to do, since she witnessed Spencer's last episode.

He looked at the time; 3:18 am. Normally a completely inappropriate time to call someone, but in London it was already after 8. He was nervous. He and Melissa had never really gotten along, let alone had many conversations, but he knew Spencer needed someone who could help her right now, and Melissa was the only Hastings family member that might be willing to talk to him. So he had to put his own uncomfortable feelings aside. He immediately went to his phone to dial Melissa's number only to realize that he did not have it. Though frustrated, he should not have been surprised considering they barely spoke to one another.

He knew he had to get than number another way. So after a relatively sleepless night, when it was finally an appropriate time to call someone in town, he reached out to Emily who provided him the information he needed. Of course when he did call, Melissa's phone was disconnected. Of course she got a new international number. Once again, he felt helpless. He thought about giving up, but Spencer needed him. Her parents had rather sternly suggested that he give her some space while she recovers since she really needed to focus, and as much as it killed him, he wanted to respect their wishes.

Thats when he came up with another idea. As he was looking around his loft he noticed that crumpled up piece of paper that Shana once dropped providing Wren's address and therefore, Melissa's. Out of any other options, he didn't think twice before booking a one-way plane ticket to London leaving the following day. He would worry about his flight home when he got there.

The flight was long and Toby's restlessness didn't make it any better. It wasn't until he was half way to London before he started second guessing his decision. He barely even knew Melissa, how would she react to him showing up at her house on the other side of the world? What if she had the same reaction to the situation as the rest of the Hastings family? What if she had moved?

After hours of worrying, he finally landed. He took a deep breath, found a cab, and proceeded to the address on the dropped piece of paper. When he arrived he hesitated again. He looked at the paper again and saw Wren's name. He certainly was not in the mood to see him and especially did not want him knowing that Spencer had a problem. Rather than ringing the doorbell, he sat down on the steps and rested his head in his hands.

"Toby?" he heard from above him, "what are you doing here?" a very surprised Melissa asked him.

He jumped up quickly. It was now or never. "Melissa, I really need to talk to you about something."

"Ok," she responded, still very confused, "well why don't you come inside."

She headed in barely waiting for him to follow her. As nervous as he was, this was not the time to worry about immature things like Wren being inside. Nonetheless, he felt his heart pounding with every step as he walked inside.

"Sorry the place is a mess," Melissa began, "I've just been so busy lately that I haven't had any time to straighten up."

"Oh, it's not a problem," Toby replied looking around a relatively spotless apartment.

"So can I get you something to drink?" She asked nervously.

"No. Thanks." He replied.

They both sat quietly for a few minutes. The silence was awkward as both were waiting for the other to speak first. Finally, Melissa broke the silence.

"So what are you doing here Toby? I know you didn't come all the way to London just for small talk."

"Sorry. I would have called you, but I didn't have your new number. Emily, Hanna, and Aria didn't either and I couldn't ask your parents."

"Ok?" Melissa responded still very confused.

"It's Spencer," he sighed.

"Oh no, what is it this time?" Melissa rolled her eyes.

Toby was a little taken aback by her response, but decided it was better not to dwell on it.

"She, um, in the past few weeks, she's started taking pills again," he finally managed to get out.

Melissa just stared at him with her eyes wide open.

"I'm coming to you because I don't know what else to do. She won't accept any help from me. She doesn't want to go back to rehab. Your parents told me to leave her alone while she recovers but I just want to be able to do something."

There was silence again. Toby wasn't sure what to make of the look on Melissa's face.

"She's been taking pills again?"

"Yeah."

Melissa suddenly got up and started frantically moving things around. "I don't know why they never tell me anything anymore. She can't go through this again. My parents can't keep pretending that nothing happened."

She left the room, presumably to gather more things. Toby was very surprised by her reaction considering he had always been under the impression that Melissa sided with her parents about most issues. She came back to the room a few minutes later with her laptop and a large bag. She began typing furiously barely looking up as she spoke to him.

"So has she done anything this time?" she asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what happened? Is she ok? Or is there something else going on?"

"Look," he began, "I don't know what happened with her last time. Your parents refused to talk about it and I didn't want to ask her. All I know is that it was bad. And I think she needs someone to talk to and help her through it. I just don't know if I can be that person. Or how."

Melissa finally looked up at him, "That's really sweet of you," she said genuinely. "I did actually just get this e-mail form my mom saying that the three of them would be out of touch for the next few days. Whatever that means."

"That figures," he said rolling his eyes and the communication skills of the Hastings family members.

"You did the right thing by coming here, Toby. I'll definitely be heading back home this week. I can't let her face this alone. Not again."

Toby smiled finally feeling like he had done something productive. "I think that's a good idea," he told her.

He didn't stay at Melissa's much longer after that. While they certainly did not know each other very well, all that mattered was the one thing they did have in common. Spencer. They both knew that it was in her best interest that they work together. While he knew Spencer would be in rehab and then recovery, he decided to spend his time exploring London. After all, here he was in a beautiful new city with all the time in the world. He only wished she could be there with him.

When he finally got around to checking his e-mail at a local cafe, he was shocked to see a message from Veronica Hastings herself.

_Toby,  
I just wanted to let you know that Spencer is doing well in rehab. She will be leaving tomorrow. When she comes back, we have hired a personal counselor to carry out with the rest of the treatment necessary for her to recover. In order for her to achieve optimum results, we have agreed that she remain focused and continue to limit communication with peers outside of friends and family for the time being. She will not have permission to use electronics during this time.  
Thank you for your understanding. We appreciate your continued support.  
Sincerely,  
Veronica._

Toby couldn't help but roll his eyes and laugh a little bit at the fact Veronica spoke to him as if he were a client. But either way, he was happy to receive the update.

After another day or so in London, he decided to write her a letter. While he knew she would not have access to electronics, she might be allowed to receive mail. He just wanted to let her know how proud of her he was for overcoming this obstacle all on her own. To let her know that he was not upset with her, but admired her strength. He found comfort in the fact that Melissa was going home to her to provide some assistance that he and her friends could not. He now had every intention of enjoying the rest of his trip under the impression that Spencer would be ready to see him again when he got back home.


End file.
